VOC Organization

The End of the VOC

F.S. Gaastra

heVOC endured a long drawn-out
death agony. As a consequence of the outbreak of the war with
England in December 1780, the Company was engulfed by such
colossal financial problems that the chambers in Holland had
to request suspension of payment. Only the financial situation
of the Zeeland Chamber did not yet require such a measure:
this chamber did owe the Amsterdam Chamber a large sum of
money, but had not borrowed a lot of money from third parties.
The moratorium granted the chambers in Holland robbed the
VOC of its credit in one
fell swoop. The Company could not longer go ahead under its
own steam. It was only thanks to the government, who guaranteed
repayments and the payment of interest on any financial obligations
that the VOC would undertake,
that the directors were able to keep the Company afloat.

This dependence on the Government
not only led to the bolstering of the management by the Vijfde
Department, but - in 1790 - also gave rise to the setting
up of the Hollands-Zeeuwse Staatscommissie
(Committee from the States of Holland and Zeeland). This committee
of political supervision or politique
insien consisted of four members from Holland and two
from Zeeland, who were appointed by the States of their province.
After the French occupation and the fall of the old Dutch
Republic, the four members from Holland were replaced by Patriot
regents. Later in the same year, another six Patriots
were appointed to the committee. Placed under legal restraint,
the days of the directors were numbered. In fact this committee
proposed replacing the old board of directors by a Comité
tot Zaken van de Oost-Indische Handel en Bezittingen.
This plan was adopted by the States General and on 1st March
1796 the directors resigned their posts.

However, the charter of the
VOC was simultaneously renewed,
initially until the end of 1798, later to 31st December 1800.
Thus the VOC continued to
exist. Nonetheless, the activities of the chambers were reduced
to a minimum. Personnel were dismissed and workplaces were
dismantled. In 1803 the chambers of Delft, Hoorn and Enkhuizen
were abolished. Rotterdam and Middelburg were left with mere
sales offices. In the meantime the fact that the charter had
not been renewed meant that the Company no longer had a legal
basis. In the absence of any new rules, the Comité
and its successor, the Raad der Aziatische
Bezittingen en Etablissementen (Council for the Asian
Possessions and Establishments) (instituted on 15th May 1800),
took the old order as its guideline.

Bird's-eye
view of the bay of Nagasaki, with left the Chinese
factory and on Deshima island the Dutch factory,
1825
(click image to enlarge)

In Asia the many changes undergone
by the management of the Company had yet less effect. In 1793
one last attempt was made to halt the rot by sending out two
commissioners, S.C. Nederburgh and F. Frijkenius. In 1795,
after the outbreak of war, most of the VOC
establishments fell into English hands. Java still remained
under the Dutch and the Dutch flag still flew over the establishments
in Canton and Deshima (Japan). The war had far-reaching consequences
for trade and for shipping between Europe and Java; this could
not longer continue on the old footing. Institutional changes
in Batavia and in Java came later when H.W. Daendels, as Governor-General,
thoroughly reorganized the administration. The great break
with the past however came in 1811, when Java passed into
English hands.